Ankey spurs urban-rural debate

Concerns over a new land-use plan for the city of Ankeny highlight Iowa’s city-versus-farm debate. At issue is a four-tier system of ranking land around the city, from current city limits on out to rural land that may some day be included in the city’s growth, or Des Moines’ northward expansion toward it. LaVon Griffieon of the anti-urban sprawl group “One-Thousand Friends of Iowa” lives on a farm just north of Ankeny that’s been in her family for over 100 years. Griffieon says even though the land in question is outside city limtis, they want to make sure the county makes the right decision, because she charges that Polk County’s been known to ask the zoning board of adjustment to change agricultural zoning, to allow subdivisions or un-incorporated development to “pop up.” The city of Ankeny dubbed Tier 4 its “urban reserve area” but some who live on old farms and rural acreages there want to keep their rural flavor of life and aren’t interested in having any city include them in their plans. Griffieon says she understands that with or without a plan, the cities will keep growing. She says farmers couldn’t exist without cities and cities couldn’t exist without food, and while they must interact, she says as a farmer she wants to remain where she is, and not “become paved over.” The group’s website has more on urban sprawl at www.kfoi.org